Not all practices are created equal. And for UCLA coach Karl
Dorrell, that’s been a good thing this week. In spite of the
heavy rain and the disappointing loss to California last Saturday,
the Bruin coach is very happy with what he has seen from his team
leading up to Saturday’s game at Arizona State. “This
is one of the better weeks,” Dorrell said. “It’s
been a while. Considering the weather conditions and having to go
indoors (Wednesday) and then coming out here and having a real
crisp practice today, that shows you that their focus is where it
should be.” It’s always interesting to see how a team
will respond in practice following a loss, as losses are much
better than wins at exposing deficiencies and weaknesses. And so
far this season, UCLA has had to respond twice. The first time was
after the season-opener, when the Bruins were run over by Oklahoma
State. The second time was this week. “The last time we were
in this situation was after Oklahoma State where we needed to make
some headway and we were able to do that,” Dorrell said.
“It’s really a very similar feeling right now with the
team. They have responded by getting better in a lot of different
areas that were concerns in the game.” Following the loss to
the Cowboys, the Bruins came out in week two and defeated Illinois,
playing a much better game in the process. Whether or not the
problems from last week have adequately been addressed, only time
will tell.
TEVAGA TO START: Freshman offensive lineman
Shannon Tevaga will start Saturday for the Bruins. The 6-foot-3,
303-pound Tevaga will replace junior Robert Cleary in the starting
lineup, though Tevaga will start at strong-side guard. That means
Steven Vieira, who had been starting on the strong-side, will move
to the weak-side. The move is an attempt to energize UCLA’s
rushing game, which has been unimpressive in the team’s last
two games.
TIME TO BRAGG: Though senior wide receiver
Craig Bragg will see action against Arizona State, Dorrell said he
will remain cautious with his playing time. “He’s not
going to start, and he’s not going to play half of the
game,” Dorrell said. “He’s going to play a little
bit. We’re going to just get him back into the flow of the
game gradually.” Bragg, who suffered a separated left
shoulder Sept. 18 against Washington, will wear a harness during
the game. He is 11 catches away from breaking the UCLA all-time
record for receptions.
NOTES: Redshirt freshman safety Dennis Keyes,
who plays primarily on special teams for the Bruins, will not make
the trip to Arizona. Keyes lost some strength in his shoulder in
the game against Cal, and though he practiced this week, Dorrell
feels that he is not strong enough to play. … Defensive lineman
Justin Hickman will not play Saturday. He underwent surgery to
repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on Oct. 15 and will be out
for several weeks. …Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 12:30
p.m. and will be aired regionally by ABC.